Deep Sigh

I don't know all the specifics of what the next couple weeks has in store, but I do know that I'm expecting things to be a little bit hectic. This is the two week stretch we both have and haven't been looking forward to all at the same time. It's time for MT/MR (formerly PFO).

MT/MR stands for Missionary Training/Missionary Renewal (formerly Pre-Field Orientation). Like most trainings in life, we anticipate to be bombarded with a lot more information than there is time to process it. We will have to be expert with working to pick out the gems. I don't say this to say that any will be useless. I just know from experience in life that you can quickly suffer from information overload if you try to take it all in at one. With all that said, I'm still really looking forward to the experience. Simply put, I like learning. Yep, I'm a nerd.

Beyond the actual training, there are some other elements that should be considered for this trip. I have listed the first 13 that came to mind below:

1. We needed new luggage in preparation for this trip. That extra money I made working all that overtime in Scottsdale, AZ was quite useful as luggage is not exactly the cheapest thing to buy, even when trying to keep it cheap. But, now we will have the luggage for additional trips we might make moving forward.

2. Packing is a time-consuming process. Let's face it, packing is not a quick thing. Thankfully, God blessed Polly with the gift of organization and time management. She began the packing process this past weekend. She is NOT a last minute packer. This leads to less stress that we will forget something.

3. It's inevitable that we will forget something. I know this sounds contradictory to what I just said, but if you read it carefully, you will see that I said there is less stress that we will forget something, not that we won't forget something. It is my experience that something is always forgotten while packing, regardless the time allotted. The hope is always that it's not an incredibly important item.

4. We will be leaving our house at 5 AM on Saturday to get to the airport with enough time to comfortably make it through security without risking missing our flight or at least reduce the stress associated with that possibility. This will mean adjusting Genevieve's schedule to get her up around 5 AM without her being a sleepy little Ms. Grumpypants.

5. This is the second time we will be flying with Genevieve, but we will also be traveling twice as this time around. We will be letting her run like crazy for our 2 hour layover in Chicago.

6. We will be visiting our old stomping grounds as MT/MR is being held at Central Bible College in Springfield, MO. This is the college that Polly and I each graduated from. We haven't been to Missouri since our friends Aaron and Jessica got married there two years ago. Interestingly enough, that was just after Polly and I had found out we were pregnant. What a difference those two years have made. But I haven't actually stayed at CBC since Polly was still a student there (2007). It will be nice hitting up a few of our old spots.

7. This is by far the longest Genevieve will ever be away from home and thus away from her routine and comfort zone. Genevieve never sleeps as well anywhere away from her own crib. It's hard to blame her as I'm not sure I ever sleep quite as well away from my own bed either. Still, it remains to be seen how well she'll do.

8. Polly has been a stay-at-home mom since the day Genevieve was born. I believe she has spent a grand total of 1 night away from Genevieve and only a few times has she been away from her for more than a couple hours. While in our classes during the week, Genevieve will be in what amounts to day care. This will test both Polly and Genevieve's resolve with regards to attachment issues. I, of course, am accustomed to this.

9. We will be out of our element with regard to food and exercise. We try to eat healthy and exercise regularly. Each will be challenged on this trip.

10. MT/MR costs money (obviously). We're praying and believing that we have sufficient funds to cover these expenses.

11. Speaking of money, I have to remember to coordinate of few of our bills and such while we're gone. Life doesn't stop just because we go away.

12. Because we have ties to Springfield, MO, we have a number of friends out there. We are hoping to connect with as many as we reasonably can. This will include Genevieve as she will have a play date her friends J and A Barratt.

13. We will be speaking at a church the day after we arrive back. So much for easing our way back into things :)

I'm sure there are other things to consider, but prayer for all these to go well would be greatly appreciated!

God bless,

Mike